Method of Collecting Delinquent Specialized Debt

ABSTRACT

An internet-based system for organization and collection of specialized debt that is delinquent; an example of specialized debt being healthcare debt.

The present application is a divisional application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/507,575; now U.S. Pat. No. 8,442,903; which is adivisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/064,806;now U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,209; which is a continuation application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/068,041; now U.S. Pat. No. 7,949,597.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the highest priorities of the present healthcare system is theability to collect bad debt. The healthcare system is not able to demandfull, prompt payment for healthcare services; and thus there is a largeamount of unpaid debt carried by the system. Some industry analystsestimate that hospitals are underpaid by an amount of 5-10% annually bythird-party payers, leaving a significant amount of money on the table.Furthermore, some 45 million Americans do not carry health careinsurance. Many more Americans face higher deductibles, erosion oncoverage and long periods of no insurance. Estimates show that self-payaccounts tend to have a higher number of gross days revenue outstandingfor hospitals.

Across the United States alone, estimates show that the amount of baddebt (in the form of accounts receivable from patients) owed to thehospitals, physician practices, nursing homes and the like is on theorder of hundreds of billions of dollars. The bad debt problem is theprincipal driving force behind the chronic cash-flow problems and weakfinancial vital signs of hospitals.

The bad debt problem is the principal driving force behind the chroniccash-flow problems and weak financial vital signs currently plaguing ournation's healthcare providers. Recent reports attribute the share pricedowngrades, declines and earnings shortfalls of many American-basedhealthcare providers to unpaid medical bills, a condition that hasplagued these companies for years.

Presently, healthcare providers set aside over $129 billion annually tocover bad debt, amounting to roughly 7 percent of the industry'srevenues, and more than double the industry's average net profits of 3percent. This statistic underscores the magnitude of the problem and theimportance of managing the impact of bad debt within the confines of theprovider's overall financial portfolio, while providing testament to theimportance of recovering bad debt as one of the provider's highestongoing priorities.

US Published Patent Application 2003/0018563, to Kilgour et al, relatesto a method for facilitating a financial investment in at least oneaccounts receivable owned by a first person, the method comprising thesteps of: obtaining a systems manager employing a computer-based system,enrolling the at least one accounts receivable owned by the first personas a lot for a trade using a computer database, receiving at least onebid from at least one bidder for purchasing the lot, and determining theresult of the trade for the lot, wherein each account receivable of theat least one accounts receivable is associated with a merchant's buyerand a merchant.

US Published Patent Application 2002/0169708, to Chittenden, relates toa competitive sealed bidding system and a method therefore. Thepublication disclose and claims a method for competitively sealedbidding on debt obligations over a computer network, the methodcomprising: inputting a first data into the computer network, the firstdata associated with a debt obligation desired by a borrower including abid due date, inputting a second data into the computer network, thesecond data associated with a bid request including a rate of the debtobligation by a lender to underwrite the debt obligation desired by theborrower, and concealing from the borrower until the bid due date atleast the rate of the debt obligation bid by the lender on the computernetwork.

There is a need for a method of reversing the downward spiraling ofhealthcare services' bottom line. All healthcare services can benefit byemploying a centralized process for obtaining sources that can readilycollect bad debt generated by unpaid and overdue accounts receivable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to reduce the burden of bad debt that iscrushing the healthcare system. Sophisticated transaction strategies areemployed, including on-line internet-based auctions for dispersing theaccounts receivable. Software-based processes extract overdue claims forposting directly from a healthcare providers' revenue cycle managementsystem. The overdue claims set for posting are organized algorithmicallyby a software-based process. Claims that are well-suited for recoveryare identified and posted. A competitive bidding process allowscertified recovery agencies the ability to first review the postedclaims, and then to bid on the set of claims that they judge asdesirable for their own method of recovery. Hospitals and otherhealthcare providers compare bids, award winners and clear bad debt fromtheir revenue cycle management system.

As the uncollected receivables problem continues to negatively impactprofitability, healthcare providers have searched the landscape forinnovative solutions to reverse the downward spiraling of returnsassociated with delinquent receivables. This has fueled a frenzied, butlargely unsuccessful attempt by the healthcare community to collect onoutstanding debts. As a result, the accounts receivable management (ARM)industry has sought to develop solutions to meet healthcare providers'demand for debt recovery. To date, the ARM industry has generated only$2.4 billion in healthcare revenues recovered, or less than 2% of theoverall $129 billion market.

The inability of the ARM industry to respond to market demand or togenerate meaningful returns largely reflects the poorly organizedmarketplace in which trading occurs. Present methods do not organize thehealthcare debt supply in an intuitive or easily accessible manner inwhich the ARM industry can expeditiously and accurately determine itsrelative value. Informational asymmetries exist as to the qualificationsand attributes of various ARM agents. Monopolistic behavior ispervasive. Price transparency is relatively non-existent and the marketlacks an appropriate degree of standardization, performance benchmarkingand safeguard protections against collections malfeasance. Collectively,these factors have led to considerable opportunities to organize thehealthcare receivables and bad debt recovery market

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an interactive internet-based systemfor conducting competitive bidding on overdue accounts receivable heldby at least one healthcare provider. The system comprises electronicprocessors, electronic input-output devices for communicatinginformation, a computer database, and a communications network. Thecomputer database is linked to a website on the internet by means of afirst electronic input-output device. The website can be accessed by theat least one healthcare provider to send a portfolio of overdue accountsreceivable from a software-based revenue cycle management platform tothe computer database by means of a second electronic input-outputdevice. The computer database comprises a first software means forsorting the portfolio based on a set of pre-determined parameters; asecond software means for organizing the portfolio of overdue accountsreceivable by region, state, city, zip code, outstanding balanceamounts, the age of accounts, and a score based on a “collect ability”scale; the second software means further for ranking the overdueaccounts receivable from most collectable to least collectable, and athird software means for generating a score for the portfolio, thusobtaining a scored portfolio. The score is based on a “collectability”scale. The website can be accessed by one or more debt recovery agenciesto review the scored portfolio. The computer database is connected tothe communications network by means of a third electronic input-outputdevice, the communications network comprising a fourth software meansfor allowing the one or more debt recovery agencies to place bids on theportfolio.

The interactive internet-based system includes a website that can befurther accessed by the at least one healthcare provider to review bidsplaced on the portfolio. The computer database is connected to thecommunications network by means of a fourth electronic input-outputdevice. The communications network further comprises a fifth softwaremeans for allowing the at least one healthcare provider to contact theone debt recovery agency that wins the right to collect the portfolio ofoverdue accounts receivable. Preferably, the right to collect theportfolio of overdue accounts receivable is an exclusive recovery right.

The system adds an additional important capability through the creationof a rating system to inform healthcare providers of the relativebusiness attributes of prospective ARM agents. This rating systemincludes a “stars” rating for individual ARM companies, similar to thosebeing utilized by Morningstar, Standard & Poors, and Moody's today. Thesystem further comprises a “community feedback system” where healthcareproviders can provide written comments about their experience withvarious ARM agents that currently work their debt portfolios.

The set of pre-determined parameters for sorting the portfolio ofoverdue accounts receivable comprises: inpatient/outpatient status ofservice provided, amount of money due, length of time that an accountreceivable is overdue, and past history of uncollected debt. The set ofparameters further comprises, for each account receivable, medicalinformation, insurance information, billing information, demographicinformation, amount of money that the winning bidder receives uponcollection of the debt, and instructions for bidding on the portfolio ofoverdue accounts receivable. This set of parameters further comprises aportfolio identification number, seller identification number, accountidentification number, client account number, guarantor social securitynumber, guarantor date of birth, guarantor last name, guarantor firstname, guarantor address, guarantor city, guarantor state guarantor zip,guarantor phone, guarantor employer, guarantor work phone patient firstname, patient last name, placement amount, date of service last paymentdate, notes, age of account, date of last payment, inpatient outpatientservice designation, and financial class.

The healthcare provider is a member selected from the groups consistingof: a hospital, a physician practice, an urgent care facility, a walk-inclinic, a dental office, doctor's office, an ambulatory surgery center,a chiropractic office, an eye care specialist, a nursing home, a homehealthcare agency, a birthing facility and a personal care provider.

The present invention relates to an internet-based system for collectionof overdue accounts receivable held by a healthcare provider comprisinga first homepage software means for allowing at least one healthcareprovider to log onto the system. The system further comprises a secondhomepage software means for allowing debt recovery agencies to log ontothe system; a gathering software means for allowing the at least onehealthcare provider to extract a set of overdue claims from asoftware-based revenue cycle management platform; submitting softwarefor allowing the at least one health care provider to submit the set ofoverdue claims to the system. The system further comprises algorithmicsoftware means for analyzing the set of claims and ranking the set ofclaims from most collectable claim to least collectable claim, thusproviding a ranked set of claims. Said system further comprisestransferring software means for removing the ranked set of claims to anonline bidding platform; scanning software means for allowing the debtrecovery agencies to review the ranked set of claims on the onlinebidding platform; auctioning software means for allowing the debtrecovery agencies to place bids on the ranked set of claims; reviewingsoftware means for allowing the at least one healthcare provider toreview bids placed on the ranked set of claims; and communicatingsoftware means for allowing the at least one healthcare provider tocontact the debt recovery agency that submitted a winning bid.

The reviewing software means further comprises means for allowing thehealthcare providers to access a rating system relating to businessattributes of prospective ARM agents bidding on their portfolios. Therating system comprises a “stars” rating for ARM companies, similar tothose being utilized by Morningstar, Standard & Pours, and Moody's. Thereviewing software means further comprises means for healthcareproviders to access a “community feedback system” where healthcareproviders can provide written comments about their experience withvarious ARM agents bidding on their portfolios.

The software-based revenue cycle management platform comprises, for eachoverdue account receivable, information comprising:in-patient/out-patient status of service provided, amount of money dueand length of time an account receivable is overdue. The software-basedrevenue cycle management platform comprises, for each overdue accountreceivable, information further comprising: medical information,insurance information, billing information, demographic information, andamount of money that the winning bidder receives upon collection of thedebt. This set of parameters further comprises a portfolioidentification number, seller identification number, accountidentification number, client account number, guarantor social securitynumber, guarantor date of birth, guarantor last name, guarantor firstname, guarantor address, guarantor city, guarantor state guarantor zip,guarantor phone, guarantor employer, guarantor work phone patient firstname, patient last name, placement amount, date of service last paymentdate, notes, age of account, date of last payment, inpatient outpatientservice designation, and financial class. The online bidding platformalso comprises directions for placing bids on the ranked set of claims.

The present method for the collection of overdue accounts receivableheld by healthcare providers comprises establishing an internet-basedsystem for bidding on a collection of overdue accounts. At least onehealthcare provider is contacted. At least two debt collection agenciesare then contacted. The at least one healthcare provider and the atleast two debt collection agencies are connected to the internet-basedsystem. The system comprises: a first homepage software means forallowing the at least one healthcare provider to log onto the system; asecond homepage software means for allowing the at least two debtcollection agencies to log onto the system; gathering software means forallowing the at least one healthcare provider to extract a set ofoverdue claims from a software-based revenue cycle management platform;submitting software means for allowing the at least one healthcareprovider to submit the set of overdue claims to the system; algorithmicsoftware means for analyzing the set of claims and ranking the set ofclaims from most collectable claim to least collectable claim to obtaina ranked set of claims; transferring software means for removing theranked set of claims to an online bidding platform; scanning softwaremeans for allowing the at least two debt collection agencies to reviewthe ranked set of claims on the online bidding platform; auctioningsoftware means for allowing the at least two debt collection agencies toplace bids on the ranked set of claims; reviewing software means forallowing the at least one healthcare provider to review bids placed onthe ranked set of claims, the reviewing software means furthercomprising means for allowing the at least one healthcare provider toreview bids placed on the ranked set of claims, the reviewing softwaremeans further comprising means for healthcare providers to access arating system relating to business attributes of prospective ARM agentsbidding on their portfolios, the rating system including a “stars”rating for ARM companies, similar to those being utilized byMorningstar, Standard & Pours, and Moody's, the reviewing software meansfurther providing means for healthcare providers to access a “communityfeedback system” where healthcare providers can provide written commentsabout their experience with various ARM agents bidding on theirportfolios; and communicating software means for allowing the at leastone healthcare provider to contact the debt recovery agency thatsubmitted a winning bid. The debt collection agency that submitted thewinning bid collects the overdue accounts receivable held by the atleast one healthcare provider. The online bidding platform comprisesdirections for placing bids on the ranked set of claims. Thesoftware-based revenue cycle management platform comprises, for eachoverdue account receivable, information further comprising: medicalinformation, insurance information, billing information, demographicinformation and amount of money that a winning bidder receives uponcollection of the debt.

The software-based revenue cycle management platform further comprises aportfolio identification number, seller identification number, accountidentification number, client account number, guarantor social securitynumber, guarantor date of birth, guarantor last name, guarantor firstname, guarantor address, guarantor city, guarantor state guarantor zip,guarantor phone, guarantor employer, guarantor work phone patient firstname, patient last name, placement amount, date of service last paymentdate, notes, age of account, date of last payment, inpatient outpatientservice designation, financial class. Preferably, the debt recovery andcommunicating software means for allowing the at least one healthcareprovider to contact the debt recovery agency that submitted a winningbid; The debt collection agency that submitted the winning bid collectsthe overdue accounts receivable held by the at least one healthcareprovider. The online bidding platform comprises directions for placingbids on the ranked set of claims. Preferably, the debt recovery agencythat submits the winning bid obtains an exclusive recovery right.

An interactive internet-based system is disclosed wherein the set ofpre-determined parameters for sorting the portfolio of overdue accountsreceivable comprises: inpatient/outpatient status of service provided,amount of money due, length of time that an account receivable isoverdue, and past history of uncollected debt. The set of parametersfurther comprises for each account receivable: medical information,insurance information, billing information, demographic information,amount of money that the winning bidder receives upon collection of thedebt, and instructions for bidding on the portfolio of delinquentaccounts receivable. The healthcare provider is a member selected fromthe groups consisting of: a hospital, a physician practice, an urgentcare facility, a walk-in clinic, a dental office, doctor's office, achiropractic office, an eye care specialist, a nursing home, a homehealthcare agency, a birthing facility. and a personal care provider.

An internet-based system for collection of overdue accounts receivableheld by a healthcare provider is presently disclosed in thisapplication. The system comprises a first homepage software means forallowing at least one healthcare provider to log onto the system; asecond homepage software means for allowing debt recovery agencies tolog onto the system; a gathering software means for allowing the atleast one healthcare provider to extract a set of overdue claims from asoftware-based revenue cycle management platform; a submitting softwarefor allowing the at least one health care provider to submit the set ofoverdue claims to the system; an algorithmic software means foranalyzing the set of claims and ranking the set of claims from mostcollectable claim to least collectable claim, thus providing a rankedset of claims; a transferring software means for removing the ranked setof claims to an online bidding platform; a scanning software means forallowing the debt recovery agencies to review the ranked set of claimson the online bidding platform; an auctioning software means forallowing the debt recovery agencies to place bids on the ranked set ofclaims; a reviewing software means for allowing the at least onehealthcare provider to review bids placed on the ranked set of claims;and a communicating software means for allowing the at least onehealthcare provider to contact the debt recovery agency that submitted awinning bid.

The healthcare provider is a member selected from the group consistingof: a hospital, a physicians practice, an urgent care facility, awalk-in clinic, a dental office, a chiropractic office, an eye-carespecialist, a nursing home, a home healthcare agency, and a personalcare provider.

The software-based revenue cycle management platform comprises, for eachoverdue account receivable, information comprising:in-patient/out-patient status of service provided, amount of money dueand length of time an account receivable is overdue. The software-basedrevenue cycle management platform comprises, for each overdue accountreceivable, information further comprising: medical information,insurance information, billing information, demographic information, andamount of money that the winning bidder receives upon collection of thedebt.

The online bidding platform comprises directions for placing bids on theranked set of claims. Preferably, all the collection agencies that wishto place bids on the overdue accounts receivable are pre-screened beforethey are allowed to view the various sets of claims up for bidding. Onlyreputable collection agencies are permitted to become part of theinternet-based “community” that exercises bidding opportunities. Apre-screening ritual allows the system to construct a database ofreputable collection agencies.

A method for the collection of overdue accounts receivable held byhealthcare providers is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of:establishing an internet-based system for bidding on a collection ofoverdue accounts; contacting at least one healthcare provider;contacting at least two debt collection agencies; and connecting boththe at least one healthcare provider and the at least two debtcollection agencies to the internet-based system. The system comprises:a first homepage software means for allowing the at least one healthcareprovider to log onto the system; a second homepage software means forallowing the at least two debt collection agencies to log onto thesystem; gathering software means for allowing the at least onehealthcare provider to extract a set of overdue claims from asoftware-based revenue cycle management platform; submitting softwaremeans for allowing the at least one healthcare provider to submit theset of overdue claims to the system; algorithmic software means foranalyzing the set of claims and ranking the set of claims from mostcollectable claim to least collectable claim to obtain a ranked set ofclaims; transferring software means for removing the ranked set ofclaims to an online bidding platform; scanning software means forallowing the at least two debt collection agencies to review the rankedset of claims on the online bidding platform; auctioning software meansfor allowing the at least two debt collection agencies to place bids onthe ranked set of claims; reviewing software means for allowing the atleast one healthcare provider to review bids placed on the ranked set ofclaims; and communicating software means for allowing the at least onehealthcare provider to contact the debt recovery agency that submitted awinning bid. The debt collection agency that submitted the winning bidthen collects the overdue accounts receivable held by the at least onehealthcare provider.

The present method comprises directions for placing bids on the rankedset of claims. These directions can be supplied by a software means thatcan be accessed on the internet by a collection agency. The directionscan include steps to be taken by the collection agency if it wants tobecome part of the on-line “community” that is allowed to place bets onthe various portfolios of debt.

The software-based revenue cycle management platform comprises, for eachoverdue account receivable, information further comprising: medicalinformation, insurance information, billing information, demographicinformation and amount of money that a winning bidder receives uponcollection of the debt. Winning bid obtains an exclusive recovery right.

An interactive internet-based system for conducting competitive biddingon overdue accounts receivable held by at least one healthcare provideris hereby disclosed. The system comprises electronic processors,electronic input-output devices for communicating information, acomputer database, and a communications network. The computer databaseis linked to a website on the internet by means of a first electronicinput-output device The website can be accessed by the at least onehealthcare provider to send a portfolio of overdue accounts receivable.The portfolio is obtained from a software-based revenue cycle managementplatform located at the at least one health care provider. The portfoliois then sent to the computer database by means of a second electronicinput-output device. The computer database comprises a first softwaremeans for sorting the portfolio based on a set of pre-determinedparameters, ranking the overdue accounts receivable from mostcollectable to least collectable, generating at least two subsets fromthe portfolio of overdue accounts receivable, and then generating ascore for each of the at least two subsets of the portfolio of overdueaccounts receivable. The score is based on a “collectability” scale. Thewebsite can be accessed by one or more debt recovery agencies to reviewthe scored portfolio. The computer database is connected to thecommunications network by means of a third electronic input-outputdevice. The communications network comprises a second software means forallowing the one or more debt recovery agencies to place bids on theportfolio.

The website can be further accessed by the at least one healthcareprovider to review bids placed on each of the at least two subsetsgenerated from the portfolio of overdue accounts receivable. Thecomputer database is connected to the communications network by means ofa fourth electronic input-output device. The communications networkcomprises a third software means for allowing the at least onehealthcare provider to contact the debt recovery agency that wins theright to collect the portfolio of each of the at least two subsetsgenerated from the portfolio of accounts receivable.

A method of organizing delinquent specialized debt to obtain a portfolioof specialized debt is disclosed. The method comprises the followingsteps: (1) providing a secure website on the internet for access by atleast one holder of specialized debt; (2) obtaining over the website atleast one segment of the delinquent specialized debt from the at leastone holder, wherein the specialized debt is disorganized; and (3)organizing the at least one segment of delinquent specialized debt intoa portfolio of specialized debt. The portfolio of specialized debt has avalue that is presentable to a community of selective buyers for biddingon said portfolio. In a preferred embodiment, the holder of thespecialized debt is a healthcare provider.

The specialized debt held by the healthcare provider has the followingproperties. Patient privacy requirements as outlined by HIPAA (HealthInsurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) are attached tothe debt. State and federal regulatory requirements govern the debt.Market image requirements of healthcare executives must also beconsidered.

Relatively disorganized specialized debt is presently organized by anovel method that includes the steps of: (a) sorting at least onesegment of delinquent specialized debt by sorting parameters to obtain asorted segment of delinquent specialized debt; (b) ranking the sortedsegment of debt by a ranking parameter to obtain a ranked segment ofdelinquent specialized debt; and (c) scoring the ranked set of debt by ascoring parameter to obtain a portfolio of specialized debt. Theportfolio of specialized debt has a value that is presentable to acommunity of selective buyers of said portfolio for bidding on saidportfolio.

The sorting parameters comprise, for each specific delinquent account:(a) outstanding unpaid balance; (b) age of account; (c) prior collectionhistory; (d) demographics of the debtor profile, based on householdincome and home value; (e) geographic distribution of debtor, based on aparameter which is a member selected from a state and a zip code; (f)type of service provided to the debtor (grouped by DRG codes); (g) dateof service provided (grouped in 30 day increments from posting date);and (h) type of debtor/payer classification, the type being a memberselected from the group consisting of individual, insurance provider andgovernment provider.

The ranking parameter comprises: (a) an intrinsic value for each sortingparameter; and (b) a comparative value for each sorting parameter. Theranking parameter is a flexible parameter that can be changed ormodified over time. In other words, the intrinsic value of each of thesorting parameters can be altered if better results relating to thebidding on the portfolio of specialized debt can be obtained. Also, thecomparative value of the sorting parameter can be modified for betterresults. A “weighting feature” makes the comparative value differentthan the intrinsic value. For example, if analysts believe that homevalue of individual debtor is twice as likely to influence“collectability” of the delinquent debt, then the “weighting feature” is2. Thus, if the intrinsic value of “home value” is 5 (a median on ascale of 1-10, where 10 is the highest score), then the comparativevalue of “home value” is 2 (times) 5 or 10.

The scoring parameter comprises a calculation to obtain a final scorefor the portfolio of specialized debt. The calculation is an additiveprocess wherein the ranked parameters are combined together to give afinal score represented by a single number. This number designates the“collectability” and the “base value” of the portfolio of delinquentspecialized debt. It is within the scope of the present invention tosupply an interactive flexible system such that the parameters can allbe debated over by bidders and sellers alike. It is also within thescope of the present invention to provide a final arbiter to settledisputes and arrive at a final score.

A method of conducting an auction of delinquent specialized debt overthe internet comprises the steps of: (a) providing a secure website foraccess by at least two selective buyers of said specialized debt; (b)obtaining over the website necessary information from the at least twoselective buyers; wherein the necessary information comprises: (1)financial statement, (2) years in business, (3) experience withspecialized debt, (4) industry affiliations, and (5) references; (c)rating the at least two selective buyers by use of a calculation thatemploys the necessary information to obtain a rating number for each ofthe two selective buyers; (d) contacting the at least two selectivebuyers over the website to advise them of their rating number; (e)allowing the at least two selective buyers to access a portfolio ofspecialized debt, provided that their rating number is acceptable. Theportfolio of specialized debt is prepared according to the method asdisclosed above.

The method further comprises the steps of: (f) accepting bids on theportfolio of specialized debt from the at least two selective buyers;(g) reviewing the bids on the portfolio of specialized debt; (h)determining a winner of the bidding on the portfolio of specializeddebt; and (i) contacting the winner of the bidding on said portfolio.Preferably, steps (f) through (i) are conducted over the internet.

While the invention has been described by specific examples andembodiments, there is no intent to limit the inventive concept except asset forth in the following claims.

We claim:
 1. An interactive internet-based system for conductingcompetitive bidding on overdue accounts receivable held by at least onehealthcare provider, the system comprising: electronic processors,electronic input-output devices for communicating information, acomputer database, and a communications network; wherein the computerdatabase is linked to a website on the internet by means of a firstelectronic input-output device, whereby the website can be accessed bythe at least one healthcare provider to send a portfolio of overdueaccounts receivable from a software-based revenue cycle managementplatform to the computer database by means of a second electronicinput-output device; whereby the computer database comprises a firstsoftware means for sorting the portfolio based on a set ofpre-determined parameters, and then ranking the overdue accountsreceivable from most collectable to least collectable, and thengenerating a score for the portfolio, the score based on a“collectability” scale; and whereby the website can be accessed by oneor more debt recovery agencies to review the scored portfolio; wherebythe computer database is connected to the communications network bymeans of a third electronic input-output device, the communicationsnetwork comprising a second software means for allowing the one or moredebt recovery agencies to place bids on the portfolio.
 2. An interactiveinternet-based system according to claim 1 wherein the website can befurther accessed by the at least one healthcare provider to review bidsplaced on the portfolio; whereby the computer database is connected tothe communications network by means of a fourth electronic input-outputdevice, the communications network comprising a third software means forallowing the at least one healthcare provider to contact the one debtrecovery agency that wins the right to collect the portfolio of overdueaccounts receivable.
 3. An interactive internet-based system accordingto claim 2 wherein the right to collect the portfolio of overdueaccounts receivable is an exclusive recovery right.
 4. An interactiveinternet-based system according to claim 1 wherein the set ofpre-determined parameters for sorting the portfolio of overdue accountsreceivable comprises: inpatient/outpatient status of service provided,amount of money due, length of time that an account receivable isoverdue, and past history of uncollected debt.
 5. An interactiveinternet-based system according to claim 4 wherein the set of parametersfurther comprises for each account receivable: medical information,insurance information, billing information, demographic information,amount of money that the winning bidder receives upon collection of thedebt, and instructions for bidding on the portfolio of overdue accountsreceivable.
 6. An interactive internet-based system according to claim 1wherein the healthcare provider is a member selected from the groupsconsisting of: a hospital, a physician practice, an urgent carefacility, a walk-in clinic, a dental office, a medical practice,doctor's office, an ambulatory surgery center, a chiropractic office, aneye care specialist, a nursing home, a home healthcare agency and apersonal care provider.
 7. An interactive internet-based system forconducting competitive bidding on overdue accounts receivable held by atleast one healthcare provider, the system comprising: electronicinput-output devices for communicating information, a computer database,and a communications network; wherein the computer database is linked toa website on the internet by means of a first electronic input-outputdevice, whereby the website can be accessed by the at least onehealthcare provider to send a portfolio of overdue accounts receivablefrom a software-based revenue cycle management platform to the computerdatabase by means of a second electronic input-output device; wherebythe computer database comprises a first software means for sorting theportfolio based on a set of pre-determined parameters, ranking theoverdue accounts receivable from most collectable to least collectable,generating at least two subsets from the portfolio of overdue accountsreceivable, and then generating a score for each of the at least twosubsets of the portfolio of overdue accounts receivable, the score basedon a collectability scale; and whereby the website can be accessed byone or more debt recovery agencies to review the scored portfolio;whereby the computer database is connected to the communications networkby means of a third electronic input-output device, the communicationsnetwork comprising a second software means for allowing the one or moredebt recovery agencies to place bids on the portfolio.
 8. An interactiveinternet-based system according to claim 7 wherein the website can befurther accessed by the at least one healthcare provider to review bidsplaced on each of the at least two subsets generated from the portfolioof overdue accounts receivable; whereby the computer database isconnected to the communications network by means of a fourth electronicinput-output device, the communications network comprising a thirdsoftware means for allowing the at least one healthcare provider tocontact the debt recovery agency that wins the right to collect theportfolio of each of the at least two subsets generated from theportfolio of accounts receivable.
 9. An interactive internet-basedsystem according to claim 8 wherein the right to collect the portfolioof overdue accounts receivable is an exclusive recovery right.
 10. Aninteractive internet-based system according to claim 7 wherein the setof pre-determined parameters for sorting the portfolio of overdueaccounts receivable comprises: inpatient/outpatient status of serviceprovided, amount of money due, length of time that an account receivableis overdue, and past history of uncollected debt.
 11. An interactiveinternet-based system according to claim 10 wherein the set ofparameters further comprises for each account receivable: medicalinformation, insurance information, billing information, demographicinformation, amount of money that the winning bidder receives uponcollection of the debt, and instructions for bidding on the portfolio ofoverdue accounts receivable.
 12. An interactive internet-based systemaccording to claim 7 wherein the healthcare provider is a memberselected from the groups consisting of: a hospital, a physicianpractice, an urgent care facility, a walk-in clinic, a dental office, amedical practice, doctor's office, a chiropractic office, an eye carespecialist, a nursing home, a home healthcare agency and a personal careprovider.
 13. A method of conducting an auction of delinquentspecialized debt over the internet, the method comprising: (a) providinga secure website for access by at least two selective buyers of saidspecialized debt; (b) obtaining over the website necessary informationfrom the at least two selective buyers; wherein the necessaryinformation comprises: (1) financial statement, (2) years in business,(3) experience with specialized debt, (4) industry affiliations, and (5)references; (c) rating the at least two selective buyers by use of acalculation that employs the necessary information to obtain a ratingnumber for each of the two selective buyers; (d) contacting the at leasttwo selective buyers over the website to advise them of their ratingnumber; and (e) allowing the at least two selective buyers to access aportfolio of specialized debt, provided that their rating number isacceptable.
 14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the portfolio ofspecialized debt is prepared according to a method comprising: (1)providing a secure website on the internet for access by at least oneholder of specialized debt; (2) obtaining over the website at least onesegment of the delinquent specialized debt from the at least one holder,wherein the specialized debt is disorganized; and (3) organizing the atleast one segment of delinquent specialized debt into a portfolio ofspecialized debt, wherein the portfolio of specialized debt has a valuethat is presentable to a community of selective buyers for bidding onsaid portfolio.
 15. A method according to claim 13 further comprisingthe steps of: (f) accepting bids on the portfolio of specialized debtfrom the at least two selective buyers; (g) reviewing the bids on theportfolio of specialized debt; (h) determining a winner of the biddingon the portfolio of specialized debt; and (i) contacting the winner ofthe bidding on said portfolio; whereby steps (f) through (i) areconducted over the internet.
 16. A method according to claim 15 whereinsteps (f) through (i) are conducted by the seller of the portfolio ofspecialized debt.